Of Faeries and Lupes
by lener
Summary: A Neopets story about true friendship, a little hint of romance and war.
1. Chapter One

Of ~Faeries~ and *Lupes*

Part One

      General Ares straightened the thick, dark navy coat that hung around his blue shoulders. He admired the shiny brass buttons, each carefully polished and the many badges that hung on the coat. At such a young age, (just 682 days old) the handsome lupe was one of the best and the fittest generals in the Neopia Army. 

          General Ares padded softly over to General Anwar. Years of training and experience had turned the old lupe's once creamy white coat into a shaggy grey one, but General Ares could still see the twinkle in Anwar's large, alert yellow eyes. 

          "General, you seem worried," Ares murmured to the lupe, hoping that he would voice his fears soon. With things the way they were now, he was absolutely certain that bad news was at the tip of Anwar's tongue. 

          " The swarm is massing, more of its forces are joining the group. If we do not take action right away, the whole of Neopia will be doomed!" General Anwar's words were received with a sharp intake of breath on Ares' part. "Do you know what these… creatures are?" he asked the older lupe. General Anwar shook his head wearily. "We can only guess. They are still too far for our screens to tell," he informed Ares. And with a nod, Anwar was dismissed. 

          Ares stood with his back towards the door. It had happened a few years ago, but he still remembered it as though it only happened yesterday. Ares had been born into a wealthy family in Neopia. His father had been a general in the Neopia Army too, but had died under enemy fire during the first Neopian War.  Ares remembered how his mother, too had died from grief- she had loved Ares' father dearly. And so, two weeks after Ares was born, he was made an orphan, and General Anwar kindly took Ares in. Well, it wasn't family, but it was the least Ares had, and he treasured it. 

          Ares spent his childhood in Neopia, where he found his best friend Jack. Jack was a magnificent fire scorchio, and it was his brilliant flaming wings that had brought the two of them together. Jack had accidentally set Ares on fire once and until now Ares still bore remembrance of that incident- a black patch on his back, where his beloved azure fur had been singed. 

          But despite that little incident, Ares and Jack grew up to be the best of friends, and Jack passionately shared Ares' dream of becoming a fire lupe. 

          Ares was zapped back to the present as the wooden oak door to the room opened and a haughty looking starry lupe stepped in. "Ares," the lupe that had just entered bowed slightly, all the while keeping his eyes on Ares. "That's _General_ Ares to you, Letard," Ares said curtly to the lupe. He had always despised Letard's haughty airs and ways. 

          Letard kept quiet, and Ares felt a surge of triumph. A stray wind blew through the room, ruffling Ares' coat. "Proceed," Ares told Letard. 

"I have summoned a full force of Neopia's faeries and uber-faeries, General Ares. They have pledge loyalty to the Battle Faerie, and she will serve the Neopia Army with her heart." Letard reported. General Ares nodded. "That means that the Neopia Army forces will be adequate for battle. What about our sea spies? Do they have any information to report?" Ares questioned Letard.      

"As a matter of fact, Lord Reise is outside waiting to talk to you," Letard cast a glance out of one of the ship's portholes and into the deep blue of the ocean. General Ares nodded firmly, "Yes, I'll go right on deck to greet Lord Reise." And with that, the two lupes padded softly out of the room.

General Ares and Letard stepped out of the wooden oak door and found themselves in the dimly lit corridor of one of the largest battleships in the Neopia Army. Turning left, the lupes walked down the corridor and pulled the door at the end open. They stepped on the deck of _Psellia_, named after the air faerie, and out into the sunshine. 

"And where are we anchored now?" Ares asked a passing sailor. "Between the shores of Faerieland and the Mystery Island, General Ares. To the south you can see the newly found Krawk Island," the burly skeith looked a little surprised and nervous. General Ares smiled his most reassuring smile at the skeith and carried on walking with Letard.

The starry lupe brought General Ares to the starboard side of the ship and both lupes placed their furry paws on the wooden side of the ship and looked peered down into the dark waters below. At first nothing met Ares' eyes, but then a fleeting dark shadow darted through the waves and a split second later something shot out of the sea, sending sprays of saltwater all over Letard- Ares was smart enough to jump back. 

The creature that had jumped out of the water was Lord Reise, the swiftest jetsam and the smartest sea spy that the Neopia Army had. Lord Reise had half of his sleek dark purple body out of the water and was looking up at the _Psellia _at General Ares. Lord Reise raised a fin and saluted smartly to Ares. "General Ares, Lord Reise at your service," he greeted the lupe. Ares nodded in return and smiled. "I hear you have something to report, Lord Reise," he told the jetsam in his deep voice, making sure to be very polite to the jetsam. Jetsams had their pride.

"Yes, General Ares. My sea spies have spotted clouds of faeries and uber-faeries heading for our battleships and we were wondering…" Ares cast a sideways glance at Letard, then turned back to Lord Reise. "Ah… no Lord Reise it appears you have made a mistake. The faeries are on our side, and have agreed to go into battle side by side with the Neopia Army, which, I believe is a very good idea," General Ares told the jetsam. Lord Reise nodded and said, "Yes, General Ares. I shall tell my spies to personally escort the faeries to the _Psellia_." And with that, he leapt into the air and entered the water with hardly a splash. General Ares watched the retreating back of Lord Reise for a few seconds later, then turned to Letard.

"Letard, head off to the _Iyana _to welcome the faeries. No doubt that will be the first boat they will see," Ares told the starry lupe. "Yes, General Ares," Letard bowed low and trotted off, his head high in the air.     

General Ares stood for a moment at the side of the ship looking into the water, but then finally he headed back under deck and into a small, dark  crowded room where the air was filled with cigarette smoke and loud, raucous laughter. 

General Ares settled down in a corner of the room, and when the cook, Betty, came around to get his order, he asked for a mug of cold beer and a bag of cheesy neos, his favourite. The kau nodded at General Ares and then made her way past crowds of skeiths, gelerts and other neopets and into the kitchen that bustled with activity. 

General Ares settled back in the cushioned chair and sighed. It was going to be a long day for him. 

_To be continued… _


	2. Chapter Two

Of ~Faeries~ and *Lupes* Part Two 

      Recap:

          _General Ares settled back in the cushioned chair and sighed. It was going to be a long day for him._

A few minutes later, Betty the kau made her way over to his table carrying a tray on which precariously stood a large mug of cold beer filled to the brim and a giant pack of cheesy neos. 

          "Ahh… thank you, Betty," General Ares nodded contentedly as the cook set down his order in front of him. "Anytime, General," Betty drawled out in her distinct Southern accent. The striped kau batted her long eyelashes at the blue lupe. General Ares nodded again, and Betty made her way over to another table where a fresh load of sailors had just sat down. 

          Ares downed half the mug of beer in one long gulp, then licked the foam out from his shaggy blue whiskers. He was just about to use his sharp teeth to rip apart the bag of cheesy neos when a white blumaroo bounced through the doors of the Food Cabin and right up to his table. Ares noticed the red bandanna with white polka dots tied around the blumaroo's neck. "First mate Charles, is there a problem?" General Ares stood up at once. 

          But before the blumaroo could even answer him, there was a loud BANG and the ship lurched to the right. 

          Tables flew all around the Food Cabin, and all the neopets except Ares were thrown about. "ATTACK!" someone screamed. "General Anwar just spotted them, Sir. He sent me to tell you about it, but I'm afraid I didn't make it to you on time," Charles confessed, his blumaroo ears drooping sadly. 

          "Don't worry, Charles, I'm sure you came here as fast as you could. The _Psellia _is a big ship after all," General Ares told the blumaroo. He knew that blumaroos were one of the fastest neopets in Neopia. Before any of them could move, however, there was another loud BANG and the ship shuddered violently. 

          "Everyone out on deck! Prepare for battle! Women and children in their cabins, NOW!" General Ares' deep voice resounded throughout the Food Cabin, and calmed everyone down. Ares and Charles were the first out the door. Charles bounced rapidly out on deck, followed very closely by Ares, who was running on all fours. They were met on deck by General Anwar, who quickly handed Ares his trusty Sword of Domar. 

          "What are these creatures?" Ares asked General Anwar as they made their war across the deck of the _Psellia. _"Swarms of black things… still can't tell what they are, but one of the sailors claims it's something like a cross between a chia and a koi," General Anwar replied, withdrawing his Platinum Tech Bow. "But chias can't swim!" Ares growled angrily. "Kois can," General Anwar replied matter-of-factly. 

          By now, loud cannon shots were ringing through the air as the Neopia Army prepared to battle this unseen enemy. The six different kinds of frost cannons were being loaded and shot into the water simultaneously. At the sides of the _Psellia_, all the sailors and members of the Neopia Army were using all sorts of weapons to combat the enemy. Dozens of sponge shields suffocated the sea creatures, some fired Frost bow arrows into the water, instantly freezing up the creatures and others launched Stone Kacheek Heads into the water with Kacheek Pebble Lobbers. 

          Generals were busy shouting orders to the soldiers of lesser ranks. 

          A few minutes later, the battle was still raging furiously, but the soldiers and sailors aboard the _Psellia _were tiring out fast. The enemy was still coming in swarms, and they were now attacking the _Psellia _with even more vigour. 

          Just when the crew on board the _Psellia _gave up hope of ever surviving this attack, there came a whiz of colours in the sky. Red, green, dark blue, purple, yellow and light blue. "The faeries! They have come!" the crew cheered. General Ares squinted up into the sky, using one paw to shield his eyes from the bright light. Sure enough, clouds of faeries were streaming down from the sky. The normal faeries gave off a faint light the colour of their type, but the uber-faeries gave off a much more stronger light. 

          Suddenly, from within the midst of all the bright faeries there came a loud cry, "Faeries! Fight to the end!" And within the horde of magical creatures came forth their leader, the Battle Faerie. Beautiful, proud and fearless she flew down from the sky with her gleaming sword brandished. Her silky purple hair flew about her heart-shaped face and the simple green tunic she wore looked stunning. 

          Then all the faeries flitted swiftly down into the sea to battle the enemy. The crew on board the _Psellia _gasped as scores of rare and magical weapons were brandished. Here, a Greater Orb of the Fire Faerie was being used to blow the creatures to smithereens. Over there, a Water Sceptre turned patches of the sea into boiling hot seawater, causing the enemy to jump up in pain. And now the crew of the _Psellia _was fighting with renewed vigour, lobbing stone muffins, poison puffins, radioactive muffins and all sorts of other weapons into the water.

          Ares stood at the bow of the ship alone, watching the Battle Faerie fend off thousand of those black little creatures. She had no fanciful, magical sceptres, necklaces or wands, only her shining sword, but she fought skillfully. Her wrist and her sword were one, deflecting each blow of the enemy with courage and tact. The lupe watched the Battle Faerie in awe, marveling her every move. 

          Suddenly, Ares heard a little cry coming from behind him, down below in the sea. Turning around, he peered down into the water and gasped. A lovely light faerie was struggling in the slimy grasp of one of the creatures. Her light was fading fast, because the creature was trying to pull the poor faerie underwater with it, and the faerie could not fly as her wings were almost crushed into the vicious grip of the enemy. "Help me, please! Anyone!" the helpless faerie called out.

          Ares withdrew his sword fiercely and said, "Don't worry, light faerie. I'm coming!" and without any hesitation, Ares leapt over the edge of the _Psellia _and pointed his sword downwards as he sailed through the air and into the water.

          Inside the water, Ares' Sword of Domar came into contact with the creature, and it let out a terrified shriek before falling to the bottom of the sea. The light faerie flew up in a fierce blaze of light. "Oh thank you!" she called out to Ares, and her light grew brighter and brighter as she flew in circles over his head. Then she flew away to rejoin the battle. 

          But when General Ares' sight left the faerie, he realised that he had thrown himself into much more trouble than he'd expected. For swimming speedily towards him were dozens of black creatures, snarling and snapping their jaws. Ares tried to fend off some of the creatures, but since he was in the water, it slowed his quick movements down, and soon the lupe was tired out. General Ares gave a last roar of defeat and slumped down into the water.

          His vision went black.                  

_To be continued… _


	3. Chapter Three

Of ~Faeries~ and *Lupes* Part Three 

      Recap:

          _General Ares gave a last roar of defeat and slumped down into the water._

_          His vision went black.  _

General Ares opened his eyes. He felt strangely rejuvenated, and a strange feeling of strength coursed through his veins. "Wha… what happened?" he whispered to himself. Struggling to sit up, Ares finally managed to prop himself up on the soft bed he was lying on. He was in a room that looked unlike the ones in the _Psellia_. Instead of the light blue curtains and walls with their cloud-like pattern, he was in a room that had forest green furnishings with a leaf-like pattern. This green had a soothing effect on the lupe, and soon he found himself relaxed and calm. 

          The green door to the room opened and Ares looked up to see who the person was. His breath caught in this throat when he realised that it was the Battle Faerie herself! 

          Ares fixed his eyes on the approaching figure. The Battle Faerie had the ability to appear larger or smaller whenever she wished, and now she as about as large as a lupe. "Good morning, General Ares. And how are you feeling now?" she greeted the astounded lupe; bowing low so that her plum coloured hair cascaded down her slender shoulders. 

          "I'm feeling fine, thank you," Ares nodded and scrambled onto the floor. He felt it was imperative to return the Battle Faerie's greeting standing. "I'm glad to hear that," a small smile escaped the faerie's lips. Unknown to Ares, he had been sleeping for two nights and three days, and everyone on board the _Psellia _and the other battleships were worried for him.

          "Where am I now? I'm certain this is not the _Psellia_. Is it the _Iyana_?" Ares questioned the Battle Faerie. She smiled mysteriously and nodded her head. "A keen and alert mind you have, General," she said approvingly, then set the large cardboard box which had been cradled in her arms, down. "What's inside that?" Ares asked curiously, putting one paw on the box and sniffing it eagerly. The Battle Faerie placed an elegant hand on Ares' paw and placed it back on the floor. As she did so, he felt a strange tingling sensation. 

          "It's something for you. Now, what you did was a brave and courageous act, and the light faeries were especially grateful that you saved one of their kind. All of them wanted to show their deep appreciation, and so on behalf of all faeries, I will now present you with their gift," and with that the Battle Faerie undid the parcel and out fell a pile of sparkling silver armour. Ares gave a gasp. "Faerie armour!" he breathed. "Yes, quite clever! These were forged by faeries a millennia ago, and they fit the wearer perfectly," the Battle Faerie said. "Try them on," she added. 

          Ares took up the pieces of armour. There were ten pieces all together, compromising of four silver leg armours, four silver arm plates, a silver chest plate and a silver helmet. "They're beautiful!" Ares marvelled. He slipped the armour on effortlessly, and found that the Battle Faerie was indeed right. It fit him perfectly. 

          General Ares trotted over to the full-length mirror on one of the walls and admired his new armour. "You look very handsome," the Battle Faerie complimented him with a little laugh. "This is grand! Now all I need is my… sword…" realisation hit Ares all of a sudden. His sword! He had not seen his sword yet, where was it? His fear he voiced to the Battle Faerie, who turned away immediately. "It's gone… isn't it?" Ares held his breath. Suddenly he did not want to hear the Battle Faerie's answer. 

          "It's not gone…" Ares looked up quickly; hope igniting in his little heart. "It's just… broken," and she laid the pieces of what was left of his trusty Sword of Domar on the bed. Ares felt tears welling up in his large eyes, and he had to turn away from the Battle Faerie. "But I can fix that," she said in a gentle voice. Ares looked up, wiping away a tear with his blue paw. "You can mend my Sword of Domar?" he asked hopefully. The Battle Faerie shook her head, "What's broken cannot be mended, but I have a gift for you."

          General Ares looked disbelievingly at the beautiful faerie. He knew that gifts, coming from the Battle Faerie especially, were hard to come by. But the Battle Faerie was already drawing out something for him, and when she placed it on the bed, Ares gasped. "A Tri-Scimitar!" he exclaimed upon seeing the rare sword. "Hope you like it," the Battle Faerie smiled. "Like it? It's beautiful! I love it! But of course… nothing can replace my old sword…" General Ares told the faerie. 

          "Of course. I understand," and whether or not it was because the Battle Faerie's smile was so kind and sweet, or because she herself was being so kind and generous to him, Ares found himself engulfing her in a hug. 

          "It feels good to be alive. Tell me, who saved me?" Ares placed the Tri-Scimitar at his side and looked up at the Battle Faerie. "It was I, General Ares. I, too, heard the light faerie's cry, but I took a longer time to get to her. By then, you had already rescued her and were in trouble yourself." Ares nodded. "Oh yes, Battle Faerie? I do like the way you fight with your sword… it's as if… as if you are one with your sword. How do you do it?" he asked the faerie.

          "Simple, practice," she told the lupe. 

          "Wonderful," he agreed.

          "Before I forget, I think there's someone waiting on deck to see you, General Ares. Perhaps it would be good if you show yourself soon," the Battle Faerie told him kindly. Ares adopted his regal 'General attitude' and nodded to the Battle Faerie, "Thank you, Miss. I'll head up on deck right now, as a matter of fact."

          Then just before he exited the room, Ares turned back and looked at the Battle Faerie. "How do I look?" he asked her. Laughing and smiling, she said, "Like a prince." 

          The minute General Ares set foot on deck, there was a loud cheer, and he was surrounded by sailors and soldiers alike, most of them from the _Psellia_, his battleship. Shouts of goodwill and congratulations reached his ears, but it was only one word, one simple word that made his ears perk up. 

          "Ares!" someone called. 

          General Ares turned around and was greeted with the intoxicating smell of fire. His eyes adjusted to the bright glare, and then he shouted joyfully, "Jack! Jack old pal, what are you doing here?" For it was his best friend, Jack the fire scorchio, standing right in front of him.           

_To be continued… _     


	4. Chapter Four

Of ~Faeries~ and *Lupes* Part Four 

      Recap:

          _For it was his best friend, Jack the fire scorchio, standing right in front of him._

"Ares! Are you all right? I heard what happened and rushed right over to the _Iyana _as fast as I could!" Jack told Ares. 

          "Wait a minute… what on Neopia are you talking about, Jack? You aren't even _in _the Neopia Army! You're a neopet doctor!" General Ares asked incredulously. It was turning out to be a very strange day indeed. All around them faeries flitted joyously, throwing their lights down on the _Iyana _and neopets were rejoicing, but Ares was oblivious to the fact. 

          "I just enrolled! But I'm not fighting, of course. I'm a doctor in the Neopia Army, Ares! Isn't that cool?" Jack gushed. Ares' face spread into a wide grin. "That's just wonderful, Jack!" he congratulated his best friend, and clamped one paw on the scorchio's back in a hearty pat.

          "But I'm on the _Psellia_!" Ares suddenly remembered. But Jack remained cheerful. "Aw, don't worry! The _Iyana _and the _Psellia _are just next to each other!" and armed with that thought, General Ares and Doctor Jack walked through the crowd happily. "Oh yeah, and have I told you, you look absolutely dashing!" Jack said enviously, "I wish I had armour like yours!" But General Ares just smiled. "I wish I were a fire neopet, just like you!" he reminded his best friend of the dream which he still had. 

          "Oh yes, here's a little something on _my _part!" And Jack brought out a parcel from within his thick coat. He handed it to the lupe, who received it with both paws. "What is it?" Ares tried to shake the parcel, but the present inside did not rattle or move. "Something," Jack replied mysteriously, "And don't open it now, or I'll take it back from you! Open it when this whole war is over. Promise me." General Ares promised Jack he would only open it after the war.

          Suddenly, something green and purple raced through the air, sending showers of sparks and glitter raining down on the two friends. The crowds on _Iyana _and the now nearing _Psellia _(battleships were linked together by wide wooden planks) cheered eccentrically. Then the Battle Faerie landed right in front of Ares and Jack. "I see you've found your visitor!" she smiled at Ares, her deep purple eyes piercing into his own. "Jack's my best friend," General Ares said simply, returning the attractive faerie's smile. Since Jack was a small scorchio, he and Ares were about the same size, so the Battle Faerie looked just like how she had in the cabin. 

          "What was the shower of sparks for?" Jack asked, his eyes wide. Ares could tell that the sheer beauty of the Battle Faerie had captivated his friend. "Oh, they requested it," she replied nonchalantly, waving her hand in a careless manner. General Ares laughed heartily. 

          But his laughter and good mood vanished when he caught sight of a white blumaroo making his way over to him. "Charles…" Ares murmured. "What?" Jack asked. The Battle Faerie was also looking at the white blumaroo. Sensing the worst, Ares clapped a paw on Jack's back. "Jack old pal, get back into the _Iyana _and tell your fellow doctors, the cooks and servants to stay in the ship," he told Jack. 

          Jack's face drained of colour, and he lost his usual bubbly mood. "Y… yes, Ares," he said, and flapping his flaming wings, he took off into the air. 

          The white blumaroo was still a distance away from Ares and the Battle Faerie. She turned to Ares, "General Anwar?" she asked him. Ares nodded but said nothing in reply. The white blumaroo with the red bandanna with white polka dots bounced up to the lupe and the faerie. "General Ares, Sir…" but before he could go any further, General Ares interrupted him. "Take us to him," he nodded. "He's on the _Psellia_, along with Lady Keri, leader of our Aerial Spies," Charles panted out. 

          The Battle Faerie nodded, and she began to grow huge. Now she was about three times the size of General Ares. "I'll take us there, it'll be much faster," she told the surprised lupe. Ares had just enough time to thrust Jack's gift into Charles' hands, say, "Put it in my cabin for me," before the Battle Faerie scooped him up in her arms and headed off towards the _Psellia. _Ares found himself high up in the air, below him lay the battleships, basking in the warmth of the morning sun. "So, is this how flying is like?" he had to raise his voice to be heard over the wind. "Yes… beautiful isn't it?" the Battle Faerie's voice told him, and in his heart he agreed.

          With a whiz of purple and green, General Ares found himself standing on the deck of the _Psellia_, with the Battle Faerie standing next to him. She had grown smaller now, and was about the size of a large lupe. Looking ahead, General Ares could see General Anwar running towards him, with a great black shape flying along. "Who's that?" the Battle Faerie asked Ares. "It's Lady Keri, a skunk eyrie. She's the leader of the Neopia Army's aerial spies. A skilful flyer indeed," Ares whispered to the faerie, who nodded in understanding. 

          "What's going on, General Anwar? Lady Keri," General Ares acknowledged the sleek black eyrie with a slight nod of his great shaggy head. "My troops have reported a large mass of black creatures heading this way to our battleships. It seems that none of them are heading to Neopia Central, or any other inhabited areas. The whole mass is concentrated on our six battleships," it was Lady Keri who answered Ares' question. 

          The Battle Faerie, who had been listening, asked Lady Keri exactly what Ares had planned to ask. "And how far are they from us?" Lady Keri replied promptly, "My sources tell me about five hours away from the battleships." Ares glanced over at General Anwar, who nodded sadly at the young lupe. "This is the one, Ares." And Ares knew that he meant this battle would go down as the greatest battle in the history of Neopia.

          "I have already informed the leaders of the other ships… _Iyana, Nereid, Fuhnah, Maelstra _and_ Fyora… _the leaders all know. They are getting ready for battle even as we speak." General Anwar put in. The Battle Faerie nodded. "I shall convey the message to my troop leaders. General Anwar, you have the full support of my faeries and I assure you, they will fight to the end." General Anwar nodded and Ares saw that Lady Keri now looked upon the Battle Faerie with even more respect. 

          "I have one last piece of news, General Ares," the Lady Keri turned to Ares. "The swarms have among themselves a King and a Queen, and one of my spies overheard the royal heads talking. It seems that both of them have set their sights on you, General Ares." 

          At this, General Anwar refused to look at the young lupe, and the Battle Faerie gave a shocked gasp. The Lady Keri kept her head bowed before Ares. "Wha… what do you mean?" Ares asked, his heart pounding furiously inside his furry chest.

          "It means," Lady Keri explained, "It means that they are bent on killing you, General Ares."   

_To be continued… _


	5. Chapter Five

Of ~Faeries~ and *Lupes* Part Five 

      Recap:

          _"It means," Lady Keri explained, "It means that they are bent on killing you, General Ares."   _

          Ares felt as though all the wind had been knocked out of him, and as soon as it came flooding back, he was left with an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt somewhat dizzy and faint, but finally he managed to say, "Thank you, Lady Keri, General Anwar." And with that, the skunk eyrie took up into the sky and General Anwar sprinted away. Then Ares' legs gave way and he would have crashed to the floor had not the Battle Faerie stopped him. "Did you hear that? They want to kill me!" Ares cried, fear engulfing him. The Battle Faerie stroked the soft fur between his ears and said soothingly, "It's all right, Ares. I'll be right by your side. Now go on to your cabin, I've got to convey the important information to my troop leaders."

          The Battle Faerie's voice seemed to strengthen Ares, and he managed to walk shakily back to his large room under the _Psellia's _deck. The minute he opened the door, something soft and furry hurled itself into his arms, causing Ares to stumble a little. Upon closer inspection, the lupe realised that it was his petpet in his arms. Ares set his midnight blue Anubis down on the floor and patted the small animal with his paw. "Oh Vulpes…" Ares murmured desolately. "What am I going to do?"  

          "You're going to fight to the end, that's what you're going to do," came a voice from behind him. Ares whirled around and came face to face with the Battle Faerie. "But… but I'm going to die in the end anyway! You heard what Lady Keri said, didn't you? The King and Queen want to kill me!" Ares said despairingly. The Battle Faerie gave a sigh, and placed her delicate hand under Ares' jaw. "Ares, Ares… You must find the courage and the strength to face your fears. The King and the Queen want to slay you because they know you are powerful! And _use _that power, Ares, _find _the power inside you to defeat all evil!" the Battle Faerie whispered tenderly. 

          Ares looked away. "I understand now," he said softly, "I have been a coward! But now I'll fight to the end, because if it means saving Neopia, I'll be there, on the frontline." The Battle Faerie smiled, then added, "Besides, you do have a Tri-Scimitar and such strong armour!" Ares smiled and nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yes! Now let's go on deck to help with the preparations!" he told the faerie. "We have only three hours or so left…" the Battle Faerie reminded him. "How time flies…" Ares lamented. 

          The lupe and the faerie went on deck, and immediately they were hurled into the busy activity of the _Psellia. _Faeries of all kinds were flitting about, checking if the weapons were in proper working condition. Sailors and soldiers were busy practising their combat skills. The light faerie whom Ares had saved a few days earlier flew to the lupe, and settled herself on his nose. "Thank you so very much for saving my life, I grant you my blessings in all our battles," she said to him, and in a blaze of yellow light she flew up into the air and joined the other faeries again. 

_Two hours left… _

The Battle Faerie stayed by Ares' side wherever he went, and Ares felt secure and strengthened by her presence. The preparations were in full swing now, all the weapons were working, and the ship had been repaired so that it was as good as new. 

_One hour left…_

General Ares faced the throng of sailors, soldiers and faeries. There was little time left, but General Anwar had insisted that he make a speech. So he began:

"Members of the Neopia Army and Neopia's faeries, we are gathered here today for a battle that will go down as the Greatest Battle in the history of our beloved country, Neopia. Today we will be facing vicious mutant species who want to wipe out the beautiful life we have on Neopia. We will NOT let them do it." At this, a loud cheer rose up from the crowd, and the light from the faeries grew stronger, fiercer. General Ares, greatly heartened, continued with his speech, "We will protect Neopia from all harm, because that is what we are here for, as the Neopia Army. And when we fight, we fight with our hearts. And when we win, we win with all our hearts. And when we die, we die from our hearts." A thunderous applause filled the air.

Then there came shout, "The enemy is approaching!" Faeries flew into the air and positioned themselves, soldiers ran about the _Psellia _to their posts, and General Ares found the Battle Faerie at his side. "The King and Queen will not come until much, much later. Fight the enemy, while you are waiting, and do not worry about exhaustion," she said to Ares.

Soldiers were loading up the frost cannons, kacheek ice cannons, kacheek fire cannons, kacheek pebble lobbers, cardboard sprout cannons and many other firing weapons. The soldiers who were not manning the cannons had special bombs in their hands. Each neopet soldier was equipped with armour and weapon meant for its particular species. Ares could see General Anwar and his Platinum Tech Bow, and down below them in the waters surrounding the battleships were more soldiers. Jetsams, kois, peophins and flotsams all equipped with armour and ready for battle. In the skies too, besides the clouds of faeries, were many neopet soldiers. Buzzes, eyries, korbats, lennys, pteris, shoyrus, scorchios and grand looking unis all armed and alert.

A sense of anticipation hung about the battleships. Over at the _Iyana_, many more troops too were ready for battle, as well as on the _Fuhnah, Maelstra, Fyora and Nereid. _

"The enemy is approaching!" came the cry again, and this time it was for real. Thousands of black creatures, this time with wings, flew from the North and headed towards the battleships. Hundreds of creatures in the water swam rapidly towards the battleships. 

"Neopians!" General Ares roared. "Prepare for battle!" 

The enemy swooped down at the battleships from above, blocking out most of the daylight. But the light from the faeries made up for that. 

"FIRE!!" someone shouted, and the cannons lined up at the side of the _Psellia _went BOOM as their cannonballs shot through the air and into the water. Wave after wave of black creatures rained down from the sky, and overhead, streaks of purple, dark blue, red, green, yellow and light blue showed that the faeries were attacking and defending viciously.

Something black landed in front of General Ares, and he withdrew his Tri-Scimitar. It was time to fight. Fight to the end.

_To be continued… _      


	6. Chapter Six

Of ~Faeries~ and *Lupes* Part Six 

      Recap:

          _Something black landed in front of General Ares, and he withdrew his Tri-Scimitar. It was time to fight. Fight to the end._

Ares stabbed the mutant creature mercilessly, and it let out a horrifying shriek, then vanished into thin air. Beside him, the Battle Faerie had her sword withdrawn, and she was engaged in a combat with four of the black creatures. Snowballs were flying through the air and hitting both mutant enemy and neopet alike. 

          General Ares fought off mutant after mutant, as each one landed down right in front of him. Occasionally, a thin arrow from the enemy would hit his armour and fall uselessly off him and onto the deck. And it was in times like these that Ares felt glad that he had saved the light faerie. 

          Suddenly, there was a loud shriek, and a dozen of the black creatures flew down and surrounded him. Ares gulped. He only had his Tri-Scimitar! How was he going to fend off dozens of the mutant creatures with just one sword? The creatures closed in on him, but try as Ares might to kill some of the mutant creatures, more of them just came in to replace the gaps of their missing comrades. Ares lost all of hope of ever defeating them.

          But just as he did so, something huge and flaming swooped down low over them, making the creatures shriek and recoil in disgust. "Ares!" came a familiar shout. "Jack!" Ares exclaimed when he realised who had come to his rescue. "Catch this!" the fire scorchio was still circling above them in the air. Ares looked up as something small and golden fell from the sky and into his upturned paw. It was a Blizzard Ring.

          Jack flew down and landed beside Ares, and the two friends grinned. "Let's take them down!" Jack called out excitedly. And Ares almost laughed. He had never seen his friend so excited about fighting before! But the black creatures were closing in again, and so Ares held out the Blizzard Ring. Almost immediately, as if it could sense what he wanted, a horde of poison snowballs flew right at the black creatures. Shrieking and writhing, they disappeared in the blinking of an eye. 

          None came back to replace their fallen comrades, because the Neopia Army and the faeries were winning the battle. The sky was no longer choked full of the black creatures, and the waters were no longer swarming with the mutants. Ares continued to fight the black creatures surrounding him and Jack, but he now used his Tri-Scimitar instead of the Blizzard Ring. Just as Ares raised a hand to finish off the last black creature, there came a loud BANG and dodging, he shouted, "Jack! Duck!" But it was too late. The scorchio, hit by a streak of black lightning, tumbled to the ground. 

          "Nooo!!!" Ares cried in anguish as he rushed over to kneel at Jack's side. The Battle Faerie found him in a whiz of purple and green, and she quickly whispered to him, "Ares! It is time…" Then with another flash of black, Ares found himself standing in front of two giant mutant creatures.

They towered over him, and Ares could see the steely glint in their eyes. It was time for him to battle the King and Queen. 

Everyone on board the _Psellia _stopped short, even the black creatures turned around to see what was happening. "Fight us. If you win, you will live. If you lose, Neopia is lost," they said to Ares, but his vision was red now, for they had hurt his best friend Jack. 

          With a mighty roar, ignoring the tiredness in his limbs, Ares raised his Tri-Scimitar and charged towards the King. The King withdrew his own sword, black with silver carvings, and gave a mighty blow that sent Ares reeling to the floor. Again and again Ares tried to aim a blow at the King, but the King deflected his strikes seemingly without any effort. 

Finally, with one last blow, the King sent Ares flying to the other end of the _Psellia. _Ares lay there, not moving, and the King made his way to the fallen lupe. "You have tried, and failed. Now Neopia is lost." The King said, and raised his sword to finish Ares off. 

          Everyone gasped, but no one saw the triumphant gleam in Ares' eyes. For a split second later he had the Blizzard Ring in his paw and aimed it at the King. Ice snowballs pelted the mutant creature at once, and with a cry of defeat it vanished with a puff of smoke. 

But Ares was not down yet. He aimed the Blizzard Ring at the other mutant creature. All at once, a flood of icy snowballs hurled out of the Blizzard Ring, and the Queen too, gave a terrible cry and vanished with a puff of smoke.

There was silence, then, everyone aboard the _Psellia _and the other battleships gave a great cheer. General Ares had done it! He had beaten the King and the Queen! He had saved Neopia! 

But Ares was oblivious to all the attention he was getting. The Battle Faerie followed him to where his best friend lay on the deck of the _Psellia. _Ares took Jack's head in his paws and tried to prop his friend up against the side of the battleship. "Jack… Jack old pal… can you hear me?" Ares whispered to his friend, tears welling up in his eyes.

The scorchio's eyes fluttered open slowly, and he gazed at the magnificent lupe in front of him. "Ares… Ares you did well, very well…" Jack muttered softly, choking back his sobs. Ares tried to hold back his tears. "Listen, listen, Jack! You're not going to die! Listen to me! You are going to live!" he shook the scorchio. Pain coursed through the scorchio, and he gave a wheezing pant. "Ares… you were the best… friend I've ever had… thank you… thank… you…" Jack was fading fast.

"No, Jack! No, open your eyes! Listen to me!!" Ares cradled his friend's head to his chest. 

But Jack was fighting to say something. "Ares… promise me… you'll open… my… pre… present only after… the… war is… over," and with those last few words, the fire scorchio's wings burnt out, and his head rolled limply to one side. Jack's eyes closed in a peaceful sleep, leaving Ares alone on the deck of the _Psellia_, mourning the loss of his best friend. 

The Battle Faerie came up to Ares and placed a hand on his hand. "Ares…" she said softly. But the lupe was overwhelmed. Tears coursed down his face, dampening his blue fur.

"He was a great friend, a great friend to me," General Ares shook his head. The Battle Faerie nodded, "Yes, Jack was a wonderful scorchio and a great friend. And he died valiantly in battle, Ares. Think of it, if he hadn't stepped right in front of the lightning bolt, you would have died, and the Neopia race would have been wiped out."

Ares looked up at the Battle Faerie, confusion shining through his grief. "What? He stepped in front of the lightning bolt? But… I…"

"You thought what?" The Battle Faerie asked.

"I thought he didn't move quick enough," Ares murmured as fresh tears fell. 

_To be continued… _        


	7. Chapter Seven

Of ~Faeries~ and *Lupes*

Part Seven

      Recap:

"I thought he didn't move quick enough," Ares murmured as fresh tears fell. 

"He did move quick enough, Ares. Quick enough to save your life," the Battle Faerie told Ares gently. 

Ares nodded, and slowly he got up and stood on all his four paws, over his best friend Jack. "You saved my life, Jack. _You _were the great friend," he whispered to the scorchio, then turned away. 

Ares stepped into the marble ballroom of the Battle Faerie's palace. It was months after the greatest battle had taken place, and the members of the Neopia Army and Neopia's faeries had been invited to a ball held in memory of Jack. 

A few seconds later, Ares found the Battle Faerie at his side. Her long purple hair was swept up in a bun, kept in place by a sparkling diamond pin. Instead of her usual green battle tunic, she was donned in a long silver gown that made her easily the most beautiful faerie in the room. "You look great," the Battle Faerie said to Ares. Ares glanced down at his lupe tuxedo. "Jack gave this to me," he recalled, holding back tears. The Battle Faerie nodded, "He had great taste," she said. 

Minutes later, the Battle Faerie and Ares were standing on a raised platform with crowds of well-dressed neopets and elegant faeries below them. 

"Welcome, citizens of Neopia! Today we are gathered here for a ceremony held in memory of Jack, rank Doctor in the Neopia Army, and best friend of General Ares," the Battle Faerie gave a nod to General Ares, who stepped forward.

"Jack the fire scorchio was my best friend. I had known him ever since I was a young lupe, and he was there by my side through thick and thin. There was one thing that we shared with passion and vigour. That is, my dream to become a fire lupe. Jack shared that dream fervently too, and even when we grew up, we still shared that dream. Jack went to become a neopet doctor, and I a General in the Neopia Army. But we still kept in contact, and Jack was still my best friend, the only neopet I ever trusted with my life. And a few months ago, Jack joined the Neopia Army as a doctor so that he could be by my side through thick and thin, even when I was working."

Ares took a deep breath. Just thinking about Jack made him sad. 

"Well, now my dearest friend Jack is gone, and his last words reminded me of something. Just a few days before the greatest battle, Jack handed me a parcel, and told me to open it only after the war was over. Now the war is over, and I shall open the parcel in front of all of you," and with that, Ares withdrew the small brown parcel from his black coat and began to undo the wrappings.

Everyone watched in anticipation as a table was brought forth (hundreds of faeries flew the table up to the stage in a glitter of colour) and as Ares placed the parcel on the table.

The gift was wrapped in soft cloths, and slowly Ares removed the fold of the golden cloth. And now the gift was displayed to everyone in all its splendour. The whole ballroom gasped, and Ares felt a tear slid from his eye.

For lying there, in the fold of soft golden cloth, was a fire paintbrush. 

**The End**  

**A Word of Thanks:**

**Lener would like to thank the only 2 people who reviewed her Neopets fic. *laughs* They are of course, Gabriel-San and I Am The Mystical Penguin. I'm glad you two liked my story! But now it's finished so you don't have to keep checking back anymore! Hahaha**


	8. Chapter Eight

Yay! 

Of ~Faeries~ and *Lupes* made it to The Neopian Times Issue Week 32!

Thanks once again to all who reviewed!


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